The University of Lapland’s new professors, assistant and associate professors, professors of practice, and the director of Design and Services Research Community will deliver their inaugural lectures during the university’s opening week. The lectures, taking place on 9 and 10 September, are open to all and can be attended either on campus or online.

On Wednesday 9 September from 9.00 am to 11.00 am, Professor Ashley Colley (Creative Technology, Faculty of Art and Design), Professor of Practice Tuomas Pöysti (Technology Regulation, Faculty of Law) and Professor Maria Huhmarniemi (Art Education, specialising in Applied Art, Faculty of Art and Design) will give their inaugural lectures. The title of Colley’s lecture is Designing Human Futures: From Mobile Devices to Immersive and Intelligent Experiences. Pöysti will give a lecture on Changing trends in the European Union’s technology and industrial regulation: geopolitics and impacts on Arctic security and societal change. The topic of Huhmarniemi’s lecture is Soveltava taide välittää (the lecture will be in Finnish).

On the same day, from 1.00 pm to 3.00 pm, the inaugural lectures will be given by Assistant Professor Beatrice Schütte (Law and AI, Faculty of Law), Associate Professor Tomi Tuominen (EU and Constitutional Law, Faculty of Law) and Professor Tanja Joona (Arctic sustainability science, Arctic Centre). The topic of Schütte’s lecture is Governing digitalised societies: regulation and responsibility in the age of AI. Tuominen will give a lecture on the topic Oikeutta vai politiikkaa – vai ehkä hieman molempia? (in Finnish). Joona’s lecture is entitled Maat ja vedet – kohti oikeudenmukaista kestävyyttä (in Finnish).

The following day, Thursday 10 September from 1.00 pm to 3.00 pm, there will be inaugural lectures by Professor of Practice Hannele Pokka (environmental law, Faculty of Law), Director and Professor Jonna Häkkilä (Director of Design and Services Research Community, Professor of Industrial Design, Faculty of Art and Design) and Associate Professor Sean Field (Energy Transitions Governance, Faculty of Law). Pokka will speak on the topic Vastuullinen kaivostoiminta – todellisuutta vai retoriikkaa? (in Finnish). Häkkilä’s lecture is entitled Connecting with the Past and Imagining Futures through Designing Interactive Experiences. Field’s topic is Why Look North? Arctic Horizons and the Strategic Case for Transdisciplinary Research.

Sari Lindblom, Vice-Rector for Research at the University of Lapland, welcomes everyone to the inaugural lectures. According to Vice-Rector Lindblom, the inaugural lectures are excellent opportunities to learn about the university’s strategic choices, the impact of its research, the possibilities for multidisciplinary collaboration, and the interfaces between working life and science.

– The inaugural lectures offer an inspiring way to gain an insight into our university’s work from a variety of perspectives and across different academic disciplines. At these lectures, the audience will gain ideas for future opportunities, for shaping partnerships and collaboration, and for finding solutions to societal challenges, Lindblom summarises.

The inaugural lectures will be held in the Fellman Hall at the University of Lapland on 9–10 September 2026. The lectures will also be streamed live online at ulapland.fi/openingceremony.

Find out more about the lecturers:

Ashley Colley: https://ulapland.fi/en/ashley-colley-appointed-professor-of-creative-technology/

Tuomas Pöysti: https://ulapland.fi/tuomas-poysti-teknologiasaantelyn-tyoelamaprofessoriksi/ (the news is in Finnish)

Maria Huhmarniemi https://ulapland.fi/maria-huhmarniemi-kuvataidekasvatuksen-professoriksi/ (the news is in Finnish)

Beatrice Schütte: https://ulapland.fi/en/beatrice-schutte-appointed-assistant-professor-of-law-and-ai/

Tomi Tuominen:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=st3CJIzKLnQ

Tanja Joona: https://ulapland.fi/en/tanja-joona-appointed-as-professor-in-arctic-sustainability-science/

Hannele Pokka https://ulapland.fi/hannele-pokka-ymparistooikeuden-tyoelamaprofessoriksi/ (the news is in Finnish)

Jonna Häkkilä: https://ulapland.fi/en/the-research-communities-of-the-university-of-lapland-emphasise-shared-knowledge/

Sean Field: https://ulapland.fi/en/substantial-rcf-funding-for-recruitment-of-sean-field-as-associate-professor-of-energy-transitions-governance/